竹鶴蒔絵名刺入れ|Card Case with Crane and Bamboo
Unknown Artist
mid-19th century
Medium
Black lacquer ground with gold and silver hiramaki-e
Dimensions
H. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); W. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm)
Classification
Lacquer
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Stephen Whitney Phoenix, 1881
Accession Number
81.1.346
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate card case, known as *Take Tsuru Maki-e Meishi-ire* (Card Case with Crane Bamboo), hails from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), a time of relative peace and artistic refinement. Crafted in the mid-19th by an unknown artisan, its compact size—about 2 7/8 by 4 3/8 inches—made it perfect for carrying visiting cards (*meishi*), essential for social and business etiquette among samurai, merchants, and elites. The piece showcases masterful lacquerwork on a black ground, adorned with gold and silver *hiramaki-e*—a technique where finely powdered metals are sprinkled onto wet lacquer and p...